Aquariums are widely used for keeping the numerous varieties of tropical fish which are available today. Typically the aquarium is set up on a table or stand at countertop height or lower. Since virtually all aquariums are rectangular, this makes viewing the fish from the optimum position--perpendicular to an area just above the centre of the viewing face--somewhat difficult. Adults usually resort to bending over, which makes for uncomfortable viewing after a short time. Furthermore, because the filled aquarium is largely transparent from front to back, the viewer will see air tubes, electrical cords and other unsightly distractions behind the aquarium unless a photograph of a marine scene or like background is affixed outside the rear wall, facing forward, to hide such objects.
The present invention overcomes these disadvantages by providing an aquarium configured with its front and rear walls converging toward the top. Thus, at tabletop or countertop height the viewer can comfortably view the aquarium from an ordinary standing position, without bending over, even at a short distance from the aquarium. Either the front face or the rear face may equally serve as the viewing face. In either case, around the optimum viewing position the viewer cannot see through the opposite face when the aquarium is filled with water, because the viewer's line of sight is at a sufficient angle to the `rear` face that internal reflection occurs. Thus, around this viewing position the viewer sees a reflection on the rear wall of the aquarium.